A significant proportion of work-related journeys are now thought to be undertaken in vehicles not owned by the employer. These vehicles, known as the ‘grey fleet’, may include: - privately owned vehicles; - hired vehicles used for work; - vehicles obtained through an Employee Car Ownership (ECO) scheme. The use of grey fleets is common across Europe. Although no-EU wide data is available, national data from the UK shows that: - 40% of work vehicles are grey fleet; - 14 million grey fleet vehicles are in use; - 9 million vehicles are used for business journeys on a regular basis; 62% of private car use is for work-related activity1. The public sector in particular has a significant percentage of kilometres driven by employees using their own vehicles. In the UK, 57% of all public sector distance driven is by employees using their own vehicles.2 Health care employees making house visits are a common example. In the private sector, estate agents are also likely to use their own vehicle on work business. In Ireland, most vehicles driven for work are grey fleet. National data shows that these vehicles are often older than the average company car and have a corresponding lower safety rating. Older vehicles, on average, are less safe because vehicle safety standards and standard fitted safety technologies have improved over time. Employees who use their own vehicles for work may be entitled to reimbursement on a cost per km basis. Some employers specify a maximum distance for staff who only occasionally use their own vehicle for work, beyond which a company or hire vehicle must be used.3 When organisations analyse the road journeys that their employees make on their behalf, they often find a significant number of employees who they never considered as ‘drivers’, and who have never been considered in a work related road safety management context even though they are driving for work.4 Since 2014, British Telecom has required all drivers (including those using their own vehicles) to provide details of their vehicle’s maintenance record. BT’s programme is detailed in a case study accompanying this report. From an employer’s point of view, a traditional company car provides a higher degree of control over almost all aspects of its operation. When employees use their own vehicles the level of control may be reduced and this may pose difficulties.5 When a driver uses their own vehicle for work, they are still under the responsibility of the employer, and this presents a real challenge for managing associated work related road safety risk. Employers may think that it is easier to manage employees using their own cars for work, instead of a company car fleet. However once all of the considerations are taken into account this may not be the case. This guide has been produced to help organisations review and improve grey fleet management, with a specific focus on safety concerns. It will explain the legal responsibilities as well as the business benefits of an effective grey fleet management policy. And it will also explain how grey fleet road risks can be reduced through risk assessment, and stress the importance of integrating grey fleet policy in company procedures and management responsibility. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting